長野運動公園総合運動場総合市民プール"アクアウィング" | |
Aqua Wing | |
Aqua Wing Arena in April 2019 | |
![]() Interactive map of Aqua Wing Arena | |
| Former names | Aqua Wing Arena |
|---|---|
| Location | Nagano,Japan |
| Coordinates | 36°39′38″N138°13′59″E / 36.66056°N 138.23306°E /36.66056; 138.23306 (Aqua Wing) |
| Capacity | 6,000 for ice hockey, 2,000 for swimming |
| Acreage | 5.2ha |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | 12 October 1995 (1995-10-12) |
| Opened | September 1997 (1997-09) |
| Construction cost | 9.1 billion yen[a 1] |
Aqua Wing Arena is a retractable roofaquaticsarena inNagano, Japan. The arena is located in theYoshida area of the city of Nagano, inNagano Sports Park (長野運動公園,Nagano undou kouen), 5 km northeast ofNagano Station. The closest station isAsahi Station on theNagano Electric Railway, a distance of 1 km.
The Aqua Wing Arena was constructed as Venue B for theice hockey events at the1998 Winter Olympics, and was the last venue to be completed for the Games, in September 1997.[1][2]Big Hat, the principal Venue A for theice hockey competition at the 1998 Winter Olympics, is located approximately 5.3 km southwest of Aqua Wing Arena.M-Wave, the site of thespeed skating events at the Games is located approximately 2.5 km south of Aqua Wing Arena.
The Aqua Wing Arena was designed to be converted into anaquatics centre, and the retrofit was completed in 1999.[3] The arena consists of a 50-meter pool, a 25-meter swimming pools, and a diving pool.[a 2] The roof is retractable. Although the arena sat 6,000 during the 1998 Winter Olympics, the civic pool currently seats 2,000 spectators.[4] The Aqua Wing Arena will be an international pre-training camp for the2020 Summer Olympics.[5]

The design of Aqua Wing Arena includes sharp flowing lines which represent the wind and water of the region.[a 3] Its name,Aqua Wing derives from its similarity to a wing.[a 4] Itsretractable roof is supported by V-shaped pillars.[a 5]
Aqua Wing Arena was built on public land in Nagano Sports Park, as such land costs for the venue were nil; however, construction costs for the arena totaled 9.1 billion yen.[a 6] The venue covers an area of approximately 5.2 ha.[a 7] The permanent facilities include a building area of approximately 10,100m2, with total floor area of approximately 13,500m2.[a 8] The building is made ofreinforced concrete andsteel frames, with three stories above ground and one below rground.[a 9] The maximum height of the building is 31m.[a 10] In addition, 16 temporary structures covering 2,390m2 and providing 4,690m2 of floor space were built.[a 11]
To build the ice for Aqua Wing Arena, a temporary rink was situated on top of the 50-meter pool and diving pool, with indirect ammonia refrigeration.[a 12] The ice hockey rink was built toInternational Ice Hockey Federation standards, 60m x 30m.[a 13] Sound dampening measurers were used because the ice hockey rink was built atop an empty space.[a 14] The 25-meter pool was used for the sub press center.[a 15] Aqua Wing Arena was the only venue at the 1998 Winter Olympics that did not stage international competitions before the Games.[a 16] In lieu of international competitions, severalJapan Ice Hockey League matches were held which permitted staff and volunteers to practice procedures.[a 17]
Electricity for the Aqua Wing Arena during the games was generated by gas engines, and heat generated by the engines and freezing equipment was used as energy for the heating system.[a 18] This system resulted in capturing 80% of the heat generated by the engines and freezing equipment.[a 19] This system is used to heat the swimming pool.[a 20]
During the 1998 Winter Olympics, Aqua Wing Arena hosted a total of 15 games for thewomen's tournament[a 21] and eight games for themen's tournament at the Winter Olympics, including two quarterfinal matches. The arena hosted 113,412 spectators over 10 days.[a 22] OnlyBig Hat (256,306),Hakuba Ski Jumping Stadium (179,185), andM-Wave (118,555) hosted more spectators.[a 23]
1998 was the first year that women competed in Olympic hockey. (The Women's Tournament was won by
United States.) Except for the bronze medal match and gold medal match which were held atBig Hat, all games of the women's tournament were played at Aqua Wing Arena. The table below displays the matches held at the Aqua Wing Arena.All times are local (UTC+9).
| Date | Time | Teams | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 February | 12:00 | 2,208[6] | |
| 8 February | 16:00 | Canada | 4,597[7] |
| 8 February | 20:00 | China | 3,255[8] |
| 9 February | 12:00 | 4,972[9] | |
| 9 February | 16:00 | Sweden | 3,607[10] |
| 9 February | 20:00 | Canada | 2,713[11] |
| 11 February | 12:00 | Canada | 5,429[12] |
| 11 February | 16:00 | China | 5,863[13] |
| 11 February | 20:00 | 3,688[14] | |
| 12 February | 12:00 | China | 3,670 |
| 12 February | 16:00 | 5,015 | |
| 12 February | 20:00 | Canada | 3,133 |
| 14 February | 12:00 | 6,009 | |
| 14 February | 16:00 | China | 5,638 |
| 14 February | 20:00 | Canada | 5,872 |
1998 was the first year that professional athletes from the North AmericanNational Hockey League competed in Olympic hockey. (The men's Tournament was won byCzech Republic
.) Most games in the men's tournament were held atBig Hat. The table below displays the matches held at the Aqua Wing Arena.
All times are local (UTC+9).
| Date | Time | Teams | Round | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 February | 16:00 | Austria | Preliminary | 4,315 |
| 7 February | 20:00 | Preliminary | 3,419 | |
| 10 February | 14:00 | Preliminary | 3,659 | |
| 10 February | 14:00 | France | Preliminary | 3,659 |
| 16 February | 14:45 | Finland | Final | 5,544 |
| 16 February | 18:45 | Final | 5,544 | |
| 18 February | 14:45 | Quarter-finals | 4,628 | |
| 18 February | 18:45 | Finland | Quarter-finals | 5,044 |
Hanazawa, Nahomi (1999). The Shinano Mainichi Shimbun (ed.).Official Report of the 1998 Winter Olympic Games, Vol. 2: Sixteen Days of Glory (PDF). Translated by Norman Kong. Nagano (Japan): NAOC. p. 319.ISBN 4784098267.
36°39′38″N138°13′59″E / 36.66056°N 138.23306°E /36.66056; 138.23306